Saturday, December 17, 2016

Salvation or emancipation or Moksha or Mukti in Vedas

Ans. That condition in which the souls are freed from all desires, from all sorts of pain or misery and attains eternal happiness to live in God is known as Salvation or Moksha.

2. What are the causes of bondage and salvation?

Ans. Obedience to the will of God, dissociation from sin, ignorance, bad company, evil influences and bad habits, the practice of truthfulness in speech, the promotion of public good, even-handed justice, righteousness and the advancement of knowledge, worship of God glorification, Prayer and Communion in others words the practice of Yoga, study and tuition or instruction of others and advancement of knowledge by righteous efforts, the employment of best means towards the accomplishment of one’s object, the regulation of one’s conduct in strict accordance with the dictates of even-handed justice which is righteousness, and so on are the means of obtaining salvation, whilst the reverse of these, disobedience to the divine will and the like lead to bondage.

3. Does the soul, once being emancipated ever become subject to birth or death again?

Ans. Yes, the soul once emancipated comes backs again.

Vedic scriptures says that

He, it is, Who helps us to enjoy the bliss of salvation and then bring us back into this world, cloths us with bodies, and thereby gives us the pleasure of seeing our parents. The same divine spirit it is who regulates the period of salvation and lords over all.- Rigveda 1/24/2

Souls live in Bondage and Salvation as they are at the present time. There is no everlasting bondage or emancipation-Saankhaya Darshan 1/159

The emancipated soul returns to this world from the state of emancipation in the omnipresent God after the end of Grand dissolution (Mahakalpa) and thereafter parts with that bliss and is again born into this world.-Mundak-Upanishada 3/2/6

4. What is the duration of Mahakalpa or Grand Dissolution?

Ans. The period of Grand dissolution is calculated as

Time is first divided into four Yugas or Cycles

Satyuga 1728000 years

Tretayuga 1296000 years

Dwaparyuga 864000 years

Kaliyuga 432000 years

Total- 4,320000 years

4,320000 years makes one ChaturYugi, 2000 Chaturyigi is 8,640,000,000 years and is equal to one Ahoratra (Day and Night), 30 Ahoratras equal one Maasa (month), 12 Maasa equal one Prantakal (Grand Dissolution)

This is duration of emancipation or Moksha.

100 x 12 x 30 x 2000 x 4320000=311040000000000 years.

5. What happens to soul in salvation? Does it lose its identity like a drop of water in ocean?

Ans. If soul were to lose identity forever, it would already have done so and we would not have been interacting with each other. Because time has no beginning. So infinite time has passed since we have not lost our identity. Thus the probability of us losing this identity in future also is a perfect zero.

What happens is that soul maintains its identity in same manner as a ball of iron becomes in hot fire. It has its identity but is totally immersed in and out in bliss of Ishwar. Thus it loses its identity in same sense as we lose our identity when we get engrossed in some enjoyable task. But this is not absolute loss of identity.

6. Where does the soul live in salvation?

Ans. The soul lives within omnipresent Ishwar. Being completely under guidance of the One with perfect knowledge, it has no restrictions on its movements and locations.

7. Does soul have a physical body during salvation?

Ans. No. Physical body is no more relevant for it. Physical body is needed to practice moving towards salvation and not after salvation.

8: Without a body, how does the soul enjoy bliss of God?

Ans. The basic powers of the soul that enable it to use the physical sense organs remain with the soul. It can hear, touch, see, taste, smell and think directly through use of will power. The limitations of physical body are no more required for the one who has broken all limitations to achieve salvation.

9. What do Vedic scriptures speaks about Salvation?

Ans. Exemption from pain which is of three kinds-that from physical disorders, hunger and thirst etc, that from other living beings and that from natural causes such as excessive heat or cold, or excessive or deficient rain, or from the restlessness of mind and the sense and the consequent attainment of emancipation is the highest work.- Saankhaya Darshan 1/1

For more details to learn about Salvation or Moksha do read ninth chapter of Satyarth Prakash authored by Swami Dayanand Saraswati. Readers can download its app for free from play store.